Sleep duration, sleep quality and the risk of being obese: Evidence from the Australian panel survey

BACKGROUND Sleep difficulty is an unmet public health concern affecting a vast proportion of the world s population Poor sleep duration short or long sleep length and quality affect more than half of older people Sleep difficulty is associated with negative health outcomes such as obesity and reduced longevity We aimed to assess whether poor sleep duration and quality are significant risk factors for obesity in adults aged 15 and over in Australia by examining a nationally representative panel data METHODS We used three waves waves 13 17 and 21 of the nationally representative Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia HILDA survey data The study applied generalized estimating equations GEE logistic regression model to assess the relationship between sleep duration and quality with obesity RESULTS The study found that the odds of being obese was significantly higher amongst the study participants with poor sleep duration adjusted odds ratio aOR 1 24 95 confidence interval CI 1 16 1 32 and poor sleep quality aOR 1 29 95 CI 1 02 1 38 compared with their counterparts who had good sleep duration and quality respectively CONCLUSION Having short or long sleep at night and poor sleep quality are associated with an increased risk of obesity Obesity poses a significant threat to the health of Australian adults Enacting policies that raise public awareness of the significance of good sleep hygiene and encouraging healthy sleeping habits should be considered to address the alarming rise in the obesity rate